Day 4 of the Rangers prospect camp saw K'Andre Miller flash his skills. Brett Howden show signs as a power forward, Gabriel Fontaine continue his strong camp with a pair of goals and Ty Ronning channel his inner Malik. Plus anyone have video of Vitali Kravtsov doing the Kuznetsov dirty bird celebration? Leo Komarov was in, the reportedly out, while Ryan Reaves is on the radar screen.
Highlights of the Scrimmage :
See the highlights from today's #NYRPDC scrimmage including @TyRonning7 bringing out 'The Malik' for the shootout winner! #NYR pic.twitter.com/l0hLpDRk13
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) June 28, 2018
Miller showed the offensive skills and instincts coupled with defensive ability that resulted in New York trading up to #22 to draft him. Granted, it's only a scrimmage, but he sure showed signs of a player who reads the game well and is able to quickly react, utilizing his skills. At Wisconsin, where Ryan McDonagh, Brendan Smith and Derek Stepan honed their game, Miller will benefit from playing under former Ranger, Tony Granato.
Open the twitter thread to see more of Miller :
Here's what I was referring to the other day in regards to Miller being like a point guard with his head fakes. Makes it looks like he's going right up the wall with the puck but sees a guy open for a cross-ice pass pic.twitter.com/v3bFTdFI78
— Fitz (@FitzGSN_) June 28, 2018
Here is Granato talking about Miller and at the end, a photo of Miller and a former Ranger great is shared :
"He's an awesome kid"
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) June 28, 2018
Former #NYR and current @BadgerMHockey Head Coach @TonyGranato talks about #NYRDraft pick @kandre_miller including a fun story about Mike Richter! #TBT pic.twitter.com/TYVVzKD7zr
In the highlights above, the Marek Malik move of Ronning is shown. Here he talks about camp and a slow-motion view of the shootout goal is shown :
"I think I play with a lot of work ethic and some grit and I just try to showcase that on the ice.… @TyRonning7 on today's shootout goal, his expectations for #NYRPDC and more. pic.twitter.com/JJ1lv6UWPJ
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) June 28, 2018
David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period reported Thursday morning that the Rangers were in discussions with Leo Komarov on a multi-year deal. How many years and at what dollars sent Rangers twitter into a panic. Matt Cave in his salary projection model had Komarov at $2.9 million. At that salary, I would agree passing on him would be a wise course of action.
The New York Rangers have been in talks with forward Leo Komarov on a multi-year deal. Sounds like it's getting to that point. Wouldn't be surprised to see deal finalized on Sunday.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) June 28, 2018
But at a cheaper rate and for 2-3 years, especially with Seattle's expansion likely coming in 2020 and the need to have players to expose, where is the major downside? Komarov had a poor 2017-18 campaign and maybe in decline. But he does provide a physical presence, kills penalties, can chip in some goals and if I am correct, he is part Estonian, which will help with the Russian kids. In addition, if he replaces Paul Carey, is this really a downgrade?
Carp tossed water on this in the afternoon tweeting :
Per sources, everybody ought to tap the brakes on these Komarov/Rangers rumors. #NYR
— Rick Carpiniello (@RickCarpiniello) June 28, 2018
A second source confirmed this information and per Carp, there appears to be no interest in Komarov. If he isn't on the radar, maybe Antoine Roussel, who would be an excellent fit, and Tobias Rieder, who didn't receive a qualifying offer from LA but has garnered interest around the league, including several Canadian teams, might be a fit.
Larry Brooks decided to drop this bombshell on us in the evening :
Post has learned that Rangers will target Ryan Reaves when market opens on Sunday. https://t.co/SELIXJJxdE via @nypostsports
— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) June 28, 2018
This is the paragraph that mainly concerns me :
Reaves is coming off a four-year contract under which he earned $1.125 million per year. He will likely command at least twice that average value on this deal after completing the season on the fourth line for the Cup-finalist Golden Knights. The Rangers have ample cap space with which to work. The issue probably will become the term of the deal, with management hoping to limit commitments to free agents to two years.
Did the team not learn its lesson with Donald Brashear, Aaron Asham, Tanner Glass and Cody McLeod? Is the need for an enhancer that dramatic? If you get the Vegas Reaves who played it mainly on the straight and narrow, then maybe I get it, despite his poor possession numbers and minimal minutes. If it's the Blues and Penguins version of Reaves, what's the point? New York does have the cap room and the hope has to be he provides protection and leadership for the youth on the roster, but this isn't a move that makes me overly excited. Plus I love those ripping a possible Komarov signing but singing the praises of possibly signing Reaves. Personally, I rather have Roussel, but is likely heavily in demand, likely pricing him out of New York.
Rick Nash might be hanging up his skates :
As per Joe Resnick, agent for Rick Nash, Rick remains undecided on playing next season and will forego the July 1st signing period.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 28, 2018
If Nash does decide to walk away, largely due to the concussions I for one will miss him. His production didn't meet the $7.8 million salary and his playoff output was far from stellar many years. But his effort never could be questioned. Game after game he played a 200-foot contest, never mailing it in despite the offensive struggles. He was front and center after each game and practice answering the tough questions, like a leader should. Maybe he failed to bring the Cup to New York, but the younger players most certainly learned how to act and carry themselves as professionals thanks to Nash.